I'll Catch You
by In Darkness Is Light
Summary: The first of two versions. Minato and Rin always seemed to catch each other before they fell. Implied MinaRin.
1. Chapter 1

_**IDIL's Note:** Ok, well here's a small project I've had a big deal of fun with. It's implied MinaRin, though you can only see it if you squint, and this is Version 1. Actually, it was Version 2, but since it's done earlier than Version 1, it has become Version 1. Anyway, Version 2 will be with the same ideas as Version 1, just written differently. I haven't been able to select between the two, so they shall both be posted. This is because a) I do not have a beta reader, and b) the only person I would consider as my beta reader simply has as busy a life as mine (not meant to sound rude to anyone, but it's the truth). Well, enough of my incessant babbling. Enjoy! :)_

Disclaimer: I do _not_ own Naruto.**

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**I.**

Rin looked at the trees in front of her with fear. "So, I've gotta climb these?"

"Uhuh," replied a cheerful Minato.

"Using only my chakra?" Still fearful.

"Yup."

"And I have to make it to the top?"

"Yes siree."

"And what happens if I don't?" Oh, defiant now.

"You fail," he stated obviously. Still cheerful.

"But," back to fear now, "what happens if I fall?" she asked anxiously.

Concerned. Overprotective kicks in. Surprisingly, even more cheerfulness. "I'll catch you," he assured, grinning and holding out his arms to show he was ready.

**II.**

Minato knew that Rin was a good medic.

He had seen her heal victims in all types of situations. He had seen her heal her baby sister after she had tripped and fallen down a flight of stairs. He had seen her heal his mother when she had come into the hospital all bruised and bloody. He had seen her heal Obito countless times after training. He had seen her heal Kakashi in the middle of a fight, as she hurriedly dragged him behind a tree and made invisible a long kunai-inflicted gash while dodging a few flying kunai herself – and again in his apartment, woken out of her sleep in the middle of the night to tend to both him and Kakashi after they came back from a particularly rough ANBU mission.

But it wasn't just that, he realized. Rin seemed to have a healing power that went beyond any chakra techniques; it was simply innate.

He had seen her heal her baby sister after she had tripped and fallen down a flight of stairs by patting her head, cuddling the younger girl to her chest, and offering to take her out for ramen – an addiction the little sister had developed after falling head over heels for Obito when he came to their house. He had seen her heal Obito's ego after training, when he had once again lost in combat to Kakashi and was going through another of his bouts of low self-esteem. He had seen her, overtime, heal Kakashi's heart, stitch up all the scars, after the continuous beating of bad luck it had sustained all his prior years – this was noticeable from the way he went from being absolutely guilt-stricken and self-loathing to mildly complacent and somewhat open. And he himself had experienced her healing powers as she comforted him during one of his rougher break-ups with Kushina, going so far as to get the two of them back together.

Minato knew that Rin was a good medic. After all, she could heal both physical and emotional wounds.

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_**IDIL's Note:** Well, that's Version 1's attempt. Pass with flying colours, or fail at life epically? Alas, it is for you, the reader to decide. Hopefully though, I'll get some converts! ;) As always - pops out with a money basket - tips in the form of constructive criticism are greatly appreciated, while flames will be ignored. Happy day! :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_**IDIL's Note:** Well, here is the second chapter of my attempted MinaRin. It's just another version of the first, albeit a much longer version. And the second part has more juicy stuff in it. XD Enjoy!_

Disclaimer: I do _not _own Naruto.

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**I.**

Rin stood on the edge of the infamous tree-top training grounds, the place where, every year, without fail, many sensei attempted to help their pupils master chakra control by having them climb up a tree using only the chakra they focus in the soles of their feet.

Her number one fear had always been heights. That was why, on a perfectly beautiful and sunny day she was trapped inside her house, biding her time with a terrified expression on her face. She had lied to the rest of her team and told them that she was much too sick to come out and train. However, she knew of the miserably incredible lie detector that was her sensei, and she figured that it would only be a matter of time before he came by, an encouraging grin plastered on his face, and almost quite literally dragged her to the training grounds.

Well, Minato was nothing if not reliable. At exactly 3PM, when regular training ended, he appeared in front of her door – grin still plastered on his face, and Rin often wondered how his cheek muscles were so resilient – ready to take her out to the grounds to master chakra control.

Now here they were, standing in front of the aforementioned trees, sky darkening with every passing minute. Minato had waited patiently for the better part of two hours while Rin stared with wide eyes at the three trees in front of her, eyelids blinking in a perfunctory fashion.

"Do I have to?" she squeaked out, and Minato couldn't for the life of him remember when he had last seen his female pupil look so petrified.

"Yup," he nodded, throwing another encouraging smile her way in hopes of motivating her to begin tackling the problem that was the tree.

Her throat closed up and her stomach tightened around itself as she realized that there was no way around this. If she wanted to move ahead with the rest of her team, this was an obstacle she had to overcome.

"It'll be good practice for your chakra control, which will help you become a better medic!" Minato chirped happily, hoping that by continuously egging her on, she'd finally begin climbing. At the rate they were going, it would get dark before she'd even set foot on the tree.

Rin nodded, looking ahead at the towering trees, gulping loudly, knees shaking with such trepidation that many would have assumed she was about to walk to her death. "But," she whispered timidly, following the contours of the bark, "what if I fall?"

"I'll catch you," Minato assured her, grinning, and then held out his arms in a ready position as means of placating her.

Rin offered a small smile back already feeling exponentially better by his reassurance, shook her head of its doomsday thoughts, and gave a nod signalling that she was finally ready. Rin would climb that tree, because she knew that in the event that she fell, _he_ would be there to catch her. Of that she was certain. Because she did more than just believe him; she believed in him.

**II.**

"It's not your fault," she smiled, trying to reassure him.

"It so is," he groaned, for the first time sounding more like a petulant teenager than a mature teacher, "it's my fault and you know it."

She continued to smile reassuringly as she healed the wound he'd sustained from saving her and Kakashi. "It's not."

"Then whose fault is it?"

She sighed exasperatedly. Now he was really trying her patience. It had been hard enough for her to stop crying and feeling sorry for herself; now she had to do it for others to? "Why does there always have to be someone at fault? It's no one's fault."

"But there's gotta be someone at fault, one of us, one of _them_, someone. People don't die just because."

"Stop talking about this, before Kakashi wakes up," she chided, her frustration manifesting itself in the way she applied more pressure to his wound, causing him only to wince more. "And he didn't die just because. He died trying to save Kakashi and I from the Earth nin's avalanche of rocks."

"So it was _them_."

"Like I said, it was no one. But if it has to be someone, yes, it was them."

Minato frowned. "They have to pay for this. Think they can get away murdering innocent children like this? Not a shot in hell."

Rin frowned back at him. "No one's going to pay for anything. We have to get the hell outta here so that Kakashi's eye can heal, and we don't lose another teammate," she was now wrapping gauze around his wound, "Obito's sacrifice won't be in vain. Not on my watch."

"Doesn't this ever bring you down? Don't you get hopeless?"

"I don't have time to feel hopeless," she sighed wearily, "and besides, you and Kakashi do that enough for me."

"But he's dead. He's never coming back."

Her fingers stopped working and her whole body tensed at the final declaration. "Yes…but he wouldn't want us to be upset," she paused to wipe a stray tear from her eye, laughing wryly, "especially me, apparently. So now all that we can do is remember him, and honour him."

And then as an afterthought, "If it wouldn't have been him, it would have been Kakashi, or me. It's just that Obito was the Hero. Just like Kakashi's the Leader, and I'm the Medic, and you're the Saviour, Obito was the Hero. And a hero's actions should never be questioned. Or regretted. They should be appreciated and remembered. That's all."

He blinked, surprised. "I'm the saviour?"

She smiled, and tightened the knot around a make-shift bandage. "You're the saviour. Always saving our lives. Obito's the hero, brave and ready to jump into action at any time. Kakashi's the leader, giving us direction when we need it most. And me? Well, I'm supposed to be the medic," she looked down at a wound she had just finished bandaging but had already come undone, and she tightened her small hands into hard fists, "I'm supposed to heal…I'm supposed to save your lives too," her head was bent now, and with the aid of the moonlight, he was able to see tears streaking down her cheeks, "but I'm the only one who just can't seem to do her job right."

He smiled sadly, but placed a hand gently on her shoulder as a form of reassurance. She looked up at him in shock, and the way she was looking at him – as though he really were the saviour, the answer to her problems – made him feel a little more than uncomfortable. He unconsciously considered removing his hand, but he kept it firmly in place. "You're doing a great job," he whispered, suddenly aware of how close a sleeping Kakashi was, "Why," he chuckled, "you're the best medic I know."

More shock was visible in her sepia irises. "Really?" she asked disbelievingly, sceptically.

"Yup," he grinned, "Rin-chan's the best medic I know, because Rin-chan can heal both physical and emotional wounds!"

She let herself truly smile for the first time since the incident, reaching up to wipe her remaining tears away with her cold, porcelain fingers, and let out a small laugh, hugging her sensei tightly.

Now it was his turn to be shocked by her gesture. For a few moments he simply sat there, motionless, unsure of what to do, before he finally recovered from his shock and wrapped his arms around the girl.

"Thanks sensei," she murmured into his jounin vest, not even caring in the slightest that he smelt strongly of sweat and blood, or that Kakashi was lying asleep so close to them. Nothing else mattered to her right now but this comfort – the one he was offering her.

All of a sudden, Rin started to feel ok. And she smiled, burying her head even deeper into his vest, knowing that in the end everything would be alright. After all, Obito may have been the hero, and Kakashi the leader, and Rin the medic, but it was Minato who was their saviour. Always Minato.


End file.
